Banana Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Muffins

Thank goodness for the three bananas that didn’t make it into the oatmeal bowl this week; these muffins would never have happened otherwise. Never mind that I was initially disappointed for not being able to come up with something more original for the ripe bananas. When I sampled one straight out of the oven I knew I’d be making these muffins again. I may have failed in the originality department but in taste and texture, these muffins get high marks.

I modified my favorite banana bread recipe by cutting the sugar a bit then added fresh cranberries and white chocolate chips. I used nonfat yogurt and replaced the butter with canola oil* to make these more cholesterol-friendly but guess what…you would never notice the difference. These soft muffins have a subtle banana flavor but it’s the perfect balance of tart and slightly sweet from the cranberries and white chocolate that makes these shine. They taste fresh and clean–not at all like the oily, overly sweet store-bought muffins we all see in coffee shops.

I’ve just enjoyed another for dessert tonight and I can’t wait to have one (or two) with my tea tomorrow morning. Give these muffins a try–they would be perfect for the holidays.

* Feel free to use regular vegetable oil or coconut oil if you are anti-canola.

Don't skip roughly chopping the cranberries--this is what lends to the perfect balance between tart and sweet in each bite.

Author: Lemons & Anchovies

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 12

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

8 tablespoons sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries, roughly chopped

½ cup white chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)

¼ cup plain yogurt (I use Pavels nonfat)

¼ cup + ⅛ cup canola or vegetable oil

3 large ripe bananas, mashed (1½ cups)

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together then stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips. In another bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla.

Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula just until combined. Divide the batter into a greased muffin pan (I used a ⅓ cup muffin pan so I had a little extra batter that I baked in brioche tins). I used cooking spray.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges are golden. I baked these at 325°F with my convection oven so they cooked a bit faster. Check the muffins after 15 minutes to make sure the muffins don't get too brown.

This recipe comes at a perfect time! I’m looking for a good banana muffin mixed with something new. Cranberries and white choco it is! Your muffins are looking good. I feel like I’m at a Starbucks or something with your gorgeous muffins! It has a very professional quality to them. Like how a muffin should look like!

i love over-ripped bananas. they are so versatile, making their way into delicious treats like this one.
And chocolate and cranberry combo is a delicious one, founf out that thanks to this month chocolate party theme